Friday, June 20, 2014

Miss Catherine's Pattern Mysteries

I do love it when I can pick up any vintage item and see traces of the previous owner, like second hand clothing that has been altered or handbags with small notes left inside the pockets. But my favourite things to find are the tiny notes on sewing patterns from a hopeful seamstress or from a fashion loving daughter to a mother.

When this pattern - Simplicity 5670 arrived the other day, the notes written so many years ago were quite interesting!

It took me a while to realise the numbers were pattern numbers, so I decide to look them all up and an interesting story started to form

The notes read;

(Purple)

5640 - Wide leg pants & top (looks bought)

5615 - Pullover top & wide leg pants

5737 - Beverley's pattern

5671 - Wrap around to and wide leg pants

5143 (D)

I think this person really loved wide leg pants!

I wonder, was the original owner trying to find the perfect wide leg pants pattern? Or perhaps they were trying to build their dream summer wardrobe? Or perhaps it's a list for their mum to sew up for their years away at college?

Most of the patterns are from 1973 and are pretty dang nice! I was surprised to find that some of the ones written down already sit in my favourites list on Etsy. Clearly this person and I are sewing soul sistersWhat do you think the story behind this pattern collection could be?And speaking of pattern collections, the entries for the Glory Days/Pattern giveaway are now closed! I will be drawing the winner sometime this weekend so be sure to keep checking back!Have a fab weekend everyone!Cat xo

28 comments:

Looks like this gal had some sweet fashion sense! I have a few of these wide-leg patterns and can't wait to try them out. I haven't done too many pants patterns, so I'm kind of scared, but hey! Nice score! I'd love to see you make a pair!!!

Fabulous patterns! I've just made some wide-legged pants from a 1973 pattern, and I love them, I'll definitely make more. They were surprisingly easy, actually. Yes, it's delightful to find notes like this one - I'd say that's a wish or a To Do list! xxx

Wow, this would have been so exciting to discover, especially seeing as some of them were already in your favourites list! I wonder if whoever owned it ever got about to making them all. The girl they were for definitely had style!

I LOVE when old patterns or magazines have writing in them! LOVE! I collect old paper from 1910s-1970s and it's always a delight to see someone's notes inside. I especially like the "retrospects" when the elderly owner went back and wrote "Died, 1964" (or some other year) in their old yearbooks or fan magazines.

ooh yes their always intriguing to see. My mum is one of those people who likes to notes things on photos, which is rather handy for family genealogy! Any notes are always to exciting to rad. what what that persons frame of mind? what was their life situation at the time? exciting!

I love it when sewing patterns have things written on them, I often wonder how their versions turned out in comparison to mine! The person who owned your pattern was obviously a fan of wide legged trousers and with good reason, they look fab! Wide legged trousers are currently on my 'to sew' list!

Wow, that last pants are amazing, what a great pattern.I love finding traces of previous owners in the pattern envelopes or old magazines. I own a 1940ies magazine, one of the patterns was copied on a 1940ies newspaper, so onto a fascistic and right-wing extremist paper, another onto a 1960ies German Democratic Republic one, a communist, far left-winged newspaper. Was interesting to see so much of history on only two bunches of paper. i don't know if it was the same owner, but this magazine witnesses two dictatorships in a row and whoever owned it was unpolitical enough to keep the pattern despite the material it was made of.

wowee! that would have been so interesting to read! and how amazing to see such extremes in political opinion. perhaps the owner cared for neither which is why they ended up being cut up and used for pinning and writing on! I hope you enjoyed finding those, it would have been rather exciting, scary and interesting at the same time!

I love finding scraps of fabric, bits from magazines or notes on patterns too - although I myself never do that. Perhaps I should start so future owners of my patterns in the far off future can find these gems

ohh yes i agree. i dont write on the pattern, but ill pop a little note inside the envelope to make changes. Perhaps you can leave cryptic notes? just to give the future pattern owner something to ponder!

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